sunday candies

Two songs and videos I am really liking today:

Major Lazer & DJ Snake featuring MØ - Lean On


Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment - Sunday Candy

life is short, hell will be upon you soon

Finally hackers attack people who deserve it!  I mean, all that power is finally used for good rather than evil.  I do wish though celebrities would stop apologizing for their bad behaviors once they are caught.  The contrition routine inevitably involves clocking in a couple of weeks at some magical "rehab" place and resurfacing with an interview on 20/20 or a People magazine cover story.  I want someone to just own it, like fuck it, I am rich and can do whatever and it's none of your goddamn business anyways.  I ain't apologizing for shit.  I am gonna do it over and over again.  Cuz I can. 

What I don't understand though is, why would people use their credit cards on a site like Ashley Madison?  I even worry about using my card online buying a non-stick pan from Kohl's.  The idea of using a website to cheat, and then to give them my credit card to leave a trail of evidence of my adultery, is just inconceivable to me.  If I were a celebrity, especially one with a fake goody-two-shoe image, no way in hell would I be stupid enough to do that kind of dirty work myself.  Isn't that what personal assistants are for?   Surely you don't really pay them to just to stand in line at the DMV and make breakfast smoothies for you.

Oh and then there was that reward offered by Ashley Madison for any information related to the hackers.  The company, whose slogan is "Life is short - have an affair," is asking people to "do the right thing" by helping catch the perps.  The irony!

she's all that

In the last year or two, I've totally given up on popular music.  The yoots these days have bad taste.  Taylor Swift is the best that you got???  Puh-leeze.  And then artists like Robyn get nowhere.



Another artist who just put out a rather catchy album but is being ignored in America is Carly Rae Jepsen.  I really like I Really Like You and All That.

keira x 4

Keira Knightley is amongst my top five favorite actresses.  She turned in two top-notch performances last year, with Begin Again and The Imitation Game.  She is a new mother, and is on four different covers of Elle magazine this month. 

Here she is (I love the pink one):

it's her birthday

It's Madonna's 57th birthday!  My favorite musical artist.  Hard working.  Unapologetic.  Bold.  Ambitious.  Giving us entertainment for thirty years plus.   Refusing to be what you expect her to be. 

To celebrate what an amazing artist she is, here are three under-appreciated gems from her deep repertoire:

who are y'all to judge?

This Saturday morning, I am listening to my Broadway playlist.  It's not like I have much on there.  I have the Book Of Mormon cast recording.  I got Billy Elliot.  And I got an Ultimate Broadway cd purchased many moons back.  But you know, Broadway show tunes are awesome.  They are melodic.  They tell a story.  And they are superfun or supersad or superswoony.  Everybody needs a little razzle dazzle every once in a while...I think I might head off to Costco in a couple of hours to buy Brita water filters, instant coffee for my mom, and paper napkins.  Yup, I am a wife-less husband...This year has been passing rather slowly, has it not?  It's only August.  I want it to be December already so I can take my three weeks off.  Actually I still have five weeks of leave I need to use by end of the year, but it would be crazy to take all five weeks together.  So I guess I should figure out when to take a couple of weeks off between now and December...Somebody said to me that I would have a really great career as a consultant after I leave my current job.  But then, wouldn't that interfere with my dream job giving out free samples at Costco?...How disastrous is this whole Fantastic Four reboot?  Critical and box office bomb.  Director publicly trashing the studio and disowning responsibility for his own movie.  And Miles Teller acting like the douche he is.  It's too bad Jamie Bell is in this mess...In other douchery news, is Tom Brady really becoming bff with head douchebag Ben Affleck?  Ok, now you've pushed me too far.  I was sure you didn't just up and leave a pregnant Bridget Moynahan for supermodel Gisele (relationships are complicated...).  I wholly believed you throughout Deflate-gate (pffft, as if you need the balls deflated to win...).  But if you are going to now hang out with that douchebag extraordinaire who ruined both Daredevil and Batman for me, I am really questioning my loyalty.  Maybe you too are a douchebag, and I was just too blind to see it.  I mean, of every actor out there, you choose Ben Affleck?  Was Matt Damon not interested?  Come on, just dump him and stick with Julian Edelman..Mission Impossible Rogue Nation on the other hand is a great movie.  A worthy successor to the super Ghost Protocol.  Tom Cruise is actually a great movie star.  We sometimes forget.  Shame on us for letting Scientology get in the way...Word is there is going to be a sequel to The Incredibles, my favorite Pixar movie (well actually a toss-up with Toy Story)...This year the stock market has not been doing too great.  Looking at my portfolio is like waiting for a pot of water to boil...I am getting very close to the finale of Fringe.  Probably about eight episodes or so left.  It was a crazy bold show that wasn't afraid to turn everything on its head, jumping over universes and timelines.  What started out as an X-Files monster-of-the-week series (although it was never really just that) would end with an apocalyptic resistance war against the machine a la Terminator and The Matrix.  I am growing sad having to soon say goodbye to Walter (and Walternate), Peter, Olivia (and Fauxlivia), Astrid, Broyles, Lincoln, Nina, and September...Donald Trump, a GOP candidate for the 2016 Presidential run, is delivering the goods by offending Mexicans (drug dealers and rapists) and women (fat pigs who's got blood coming out of their eyes and who knows where else).  Best response by a Mexican?  Donald Trump pinatas!...Speaking of being rich, there was a single mother of four who won the $20M+ Powerball.  What a heartwarming story, right?  Well, she went and spent $9M of it bailing her drug dealer boyfriend out of jail.  You don't like that?  Here is what she has to say to you:  "What Y’all need to be worried about is Y’all money and not how I spend mine this is benefitting Y’all how? And no he’s no drug dealer or user but who are Y’all to judge anybody? I will definitely pray for Y’all because it’s much need…they talked about Jesus so I’m not surprised Y’all are talking about me but be blessed though."   You tell them, sister!  Y'all simmer down now.        

something more than free

I am really liking Jason Isbell's new album Something More Than Free.
Check him out doing 24 Frames on Conan:

destiny will choose u in the end

Here she comes:

comfy ninja

Weather:  Overcast but likely to burn off by mid morning
Mood:  Numb
Music:  Jason Isabell - Something More Than Free
Last Movie: The Last Five Years (C for being depressing; musicals should be joyful - no?)
Reading:  nothing
Last Pleasure:  Watching Fringe on blu ray
Last Worry: Chi Young's coughing and joblessness
Last accomplishment:  Keeping savings goal on target this year
Looking Forward To:  Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
Not Really Looking Forward To:  September trip to Baltimore
Gas Price: $3.799/gallon premium
Clothes:  Black t-shirt from JCP and black sweatpants from Uniqlo - I am a comfy Ninja

Today's Headline: No plane link to new debris in island hunt for MH370 clues

Last Website Visited:  fandango (to buy tickets to see Inside Out)
Last Meal: Chipotle burrito (really bland burrito C-)
Last Purchase:  Calphalon Unison nonstick pans (amongst many other items from Amazon)
Item On My Wishlist:  Uni Shift Pipe Lock retractable mechanical pencil
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World:  http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2015/07/27/misa-sawairi-alters-her-environment-with-whimsical-site-specific-installations/#more-32976

i've got questions

?  Does oatmeal cause acne breakouts?  I think it does.

?  When the heck are the new James Blake and Frank Ocean coming out?  Been waiting too long.

?  Should I sell my Madonna Rebel Heart concert tickets?  I'm really trying to save money and spending $800 on one evening is not prudent.  But it's Madonna...

?  Why is my 401k growing so slowly?

?  Should I get a haircut or let it grow?

?  What's the best nonstick frying pan out there?  I am tired of throwing pans out.

?  Why does evil always win?

?  Why do people hunt (other than for food)?

?  Why does a dentist pay $50,000 in order to kill a lion?

?  Why does my Yahoo keep showing me ads of women over 50 who want a boyfriend?  What did I click?  And what link do I click to instead get ads of supermodels who want a boyfriend who doesn't own a yacht but is saving hard for it?

?  How do I chill and not sweat things?

?  How do I get myself to have more discipline about good habits like eating well, exercising, writing?

?  How do I quit you, Amazon?  Damn you.

?  Why is the N Judah train so dang crowded?

?  Will Chi Young ever find a job?

?  How much is enough for an emergency fund?

?  Why is Ben Affleck Batman?

?  Why is Ben Affleck a douche?

?  At what point would people stop being politically correct and make fun of Caitlyn Jenner like we make fun of all the other Kardashians?  Cuz she is still a Kardashian after all, trans or not.

?  Where do broken hearts go?

?  Why do I keep buying Uniqlo ultra light down jackets when I only wear one for layering under another jacket?

?  Will there be a Kingsman sequel?

?  Am I talented enough to make money off my drawings?

?  Does talent matter?

?  Will I ever go on another vacation or am I too frugal now to spend thousands of dollars on a couple of weeks?

?  Will they ever figure out what happened to MH370 now that they found a part of a wing washed up on Reunion Island?

?  What the heck is a Reunion Island?  Why is it called that?

?  In the case where I was a potential juror this past week, did the jury find the kid guilty of vandalizing his sister's car?  Did Alexis Carrington make an appearance as a surprise witness?

?  Is my glass one-fourth full or three-quarter cup empty?